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NOW that the weather is warming up it's a great time to use your barbecue.

Often ignored over the winter months, summer is the perfect time to get back to doing what Aussies love to do most, fire up the barbie and enjoy those sizzling steaks and snags. Barbecuing is easy, everyone loves it and if done the right way it can be healthy and low in fat. Here are some tips:

1. First, buy good quality meat as it has less fat. Cut off all the white stuff (fat) on the side of the meat.

2. Remove any skin from chicken. Forget cooking drumsticks as it takes way to long on the barbeque and you can end up with burnt on the outside raw on the inside. Chicken breasts are better; they are lower in fat and cook quicker.

3. Barbequing on an open grill is a healthy way to cook as it allows the fats to escape.

4. Throw some seafood on the grill as it cooks up beautifully on a barbeque, but be careful as seafood cooks very quickly and when overcooked will be dry. Fish only needs a few minutes on each side.

5. Everyone's favourite is fried onion so a low fat way to do this is use cooking sprays on the flat top. Make sure you do the onions first before you cook any meat, this way the fat from the meat doesn't soak into the onion. Keep the onion warm in the oven while you cook everything else and just be careful when using cooking spray that it doesn't go anywhere near an open flame.

6. Add some variety to your barbeque by throwing on some sliced banana or pineapple and whole mushrooms and tomatoes cut in half taste great. I also like fresh asparagus, grilled capsicum, zucchini and slices of sweet potato as well.

7. Make up some of my fabulous sauces to pour over your steak, your guests will be very impressed. My favourites are Dianne and Pepper in book 2.

8. When making salads to go with your barbeque use the 97% fat free mayonnaises and no oil dressings.

9. Sausages are very high in fat so make rissoles with lean mince or do my Spicy Chicken Plum Kebabs in book 6 instead, the kids will love them, and so will the big kids:-)

10. And finally never turn a steak more than once. Continually turning the meat will make it dry and hard, so step away from the barbeque and don't keep turning the meat as you chat to your guests.

Annette's cookbooks SYMPLY TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE 1-6 are sold in all good newsagencies.

Spicy Plum Chicken Kebabs,Recipe from Symply Too Good To Be True, Book 6

Serves 6

Marinade:

1 teaspoon crushed garlic (in jar)

1 teaspoon lemon grass chopped or (in jar)

½ cup plum sauce (SPC)

⅓ cup Hoi Sin sauce

1 tablespoon Pad Thai paste

Chicken:

800g skinless chicken breasts

12 wooden kebab sticks

cooking spray

Combine all marinade ingredients. Cut chicken into large dice. Thread chicken pieces onto kebab sticks, dividing an equal amount to make 12 kebabs. Place into a large flat plastic container that has a lid and pour marinade over chicken. Place lid on and refrigerate overnight if possible or for at least 4 hours. Turn occasionally. When ready to cook, remove kebabs from marinade and either BBQ or grill, turning so all sides cook evenly. Pour marinade over chicken while cooking.

Variations: Replace chicken with very lean pork, lamb or firm tofu.

Suitable to be frozen.

Nutritional Information

CHICKEN PER SERVE

FAT

TOTAL

4.1g

SATURATED

1.0g

FIBRE

1.8g

PROTEIN

30.6g

CARBS

7.1g

SUGAR

6.4.g

SODIUM

419mg

KILOJOULES

1030 (cals 246)

GI RATING

TOO LOW TO SCORE

Note from Annette
This simple but oh-so-delicious recipe is one of my family's favourites. Instead of going to the supermarket you can now make this one yourself. Just remember not to overcook the chicken so you keep it moist and tender.

Dietitian's Tip
I really enjoy how Annette provides recipe variations. Here she introduces a vegetarian protein option using tofu. Tofu is lactose free, and low in calories, sodium, fat and cholesterol. This dish is suitable to fight chronic diseases including diabetes, cancer and heart disease.